Darite Primary Academy

Inspection of Darite Primary Academy Darite, Liskeard, Cornwall PL14 5JH

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected 19–20 November 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school and the opportunities it offers them. They like taking on responsibilities. Many take part in the eco-council and school council. Others take pride in their reading ambassador roles, enthusing younger children to read. Such activities help pupils to gain a sense of purpose and grow in confidence.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils trust adults to keep them safe, and adults do. Staff help pupils to understand the importance of sharing their worries. Pupils know right from wrong. Incidents of poor behaviour have reduced dramatically. Pupils gain a strong sense of respect and justice. Pupils say that bullying rarely happens. Yet they do say that sometimes pupils tease each other. When this happens, pupils have faith that staff will sort out friendship issues quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Overall, most pupils achieve well. Pupils say that they enjoy their learning. New school leaders have raised teachers’ expectations of pupils. Pupils have become avid readers. Teaching makes pupils think hard and inspires their curiosity. Typically, pupils concentrate well in lessons. However, when teachers do not insist on high standards, pupils do not try as hard as they might to complete activities or to present their work neatly.

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better?

The school is well led and managed. As a result, it has recovered from a dip in standards. Trust leaders and the governing body are effective. Their decisions have brought about much improvement in the school’s work. The new head of school has made clear his high expectations. He leads by example. Teaching staff value the advice he provides. They appreciate leaders’ work to ensure that staff workload is manageable.

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better?

The school’s curriculum supports pupils understanding of what it is to be a good citizen. Pupils are keen to raise funds for charities. Eco-leaders speak passionately about their recycling initiative in conjunction with the local council. Pupils have a good understanding of democracy, other cultures and religions. Pupils told me, ‘We are taught to treat others as we wish to be treated ourselves.’

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better?

The school ensures that teaching covers all national curriculum subjects. In most subjects, content is taught in a logical order. Teaching is particularly strong in reading, mathematics and history. The school has recently revised what teachers should teach and when. Because the changes are recent, pupils have not yet been taught the underpinning knowledge they need in all subjects. However, teachers have strong subject knowledge. This helps them to identify and resolve where pupils have gaps in their understanding.

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better?

In some subjects, including art and music, leaders have only recently set out what pupils should know and when. So, pupils’ knowledge and skills are less developed in these subjects compared to others. For example, teachers have not thought closely 19–20 November 2019

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enough about the small steps pupils need to understand perspective. Consequently, pupils have not secured the necessary knowledge and skills to draw perspective accurately.

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In the past pupils have not achieved well in reading. Now they do. Leaders have made sure that reading is valued. It is given a lot of attention and time. The teaching of early reading is well structured. Teaching in the early years helps children to get off to a flying start with their reading. The staff’s subject knowledge is strong. Children quickly gain the phonic knowledge they need to read and write accurately. Staff make story times exciting. Hardly any pupils fall behind with their reading. This is because staff put in precise and intensive support. Any barriers to becoming a fluent reader are overcome quickly.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils do well. Leaders make sure that teachers know what support needs to be in place for these pupils. If pupils are not doing as well as they should, leaders know this. They then act quickly to advise teachers about what to do next.

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Leaders have put in place a new behaviour code. They had identified that too many children were not trying their best in lessons. Teachers apply this code well. Pupils now try hard in lessons. They listen and do as they are asked. However, sometimes teachers do not make their expectations clear. As a result, some pupils do not take pride in their work. They do not take care to spell the words they know or to punctuate sentences correctly. Work is left incomplete or poorly presented.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff and governors understand their safeguarding responsibilities. There is a clear process for recording and sharing any safeguarding concerns as they arise. Leaders make sure that staff are confident in identifying and reporting signs of possible threats to pupils’ welfare.

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Safeguarding

Pupils say that they are well looked after. Most parents who responded to Parent View agree. The school’s curriculum helps pupils to know how to keep themselves safe in their everyday lives. It helps them to understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In areas where curriculum organisation is developing, such as art and music, not enough has been done to plan for the smaller steps of knowledge and skills needed for pupils to achieve well. Pupils do not have the necessary knowledge or skills to achieve well in these subjects. Leaders need to ensure that pupils are 19–20 November 2019

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 taught and understand the basic concepts first, before they are asked to consider or perform more complex tasks.  The school’s new behaviour code has led to much-improved behaviour. Incidents of poor behaviour in lessons are now rare. However, teachers do not make their expectations for the quality of pupils’ work explicit. As a result, pupils sometimes do not pay enough attention to their work. Leaders must ensure that teachers have equally high expectations of pupils’ work and must not settle for anything less than a pupil’s best.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 19–20 November 2019

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school opened in 2016 when it joined The Bridge Multi-Academy Trust. The trust comprises of 14 primary schools based in Cornwall.  Darite Academy’s predecessor school, Darite Primary School, was last inspected in October 2007, when it was judged to be outstanding.  A new chair of the local governing body was appointed in October 2019.  The current head of school joined the school in February 2019.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Information about this inspection

 The lead inspector held meetings with the head of school and the trust’s area executive head. The lead inspector also met with the chair of the board of trustees and another governor.  Inspectors held meetings with the leader of special educational needs and the early years leader. 19–20 November 2019

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 Inspectors met with groups of pupils, curriculum leaders and teachers to talk about the quality of education.  Inspectors made visits to classrooms. The head of school and area executive head joined inspectors on some of these visits.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ work, with senior leaders, in a range of different subjects to see how well the curriculum is applied. Documents related to safeguarding were reviewed. Inspectors checked that safeguarding policies and procedures are implemented effectively.  Inspectors spoke to parents before school and took account of the 20 responses to Parent View.  Inspectors did deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and art. This entailed discussions with subject leaders, visits to lessons, looking at examples of pupils’ work, discussions with teachers, discussions with pupils and listening to children read.

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Inspection team

Tracy Hannon, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Adam Morris Ofsted Inspector 19–20 November 2019

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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